The prior art is replete with numerous examples of various explosive training devices such as hand grenades, stun grenades, and the like, and which have been utilized to train law enforcement and military personnel over the years. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,161 discloses a practice grenade and which is characterized by at least two shell segments which are articulated on a cap and are held in an assembled fashion so as to form a shell by a safety pin. The shell segments are urged to an opened or spreaded condition by spring means which upon removal of the pin become operative to spread the shell segments. The practice grenade carries an ignitable material and all parts with the exception of the cap adjusting spring and certain parts of the igniter can be made out of plastic. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,486 a training hand grenade is described and which has a body which is made out of a soft spongy material so as to be harmless to a person which is hit by the device and further has a combustible cartridge to provide an indicating flash when the cartridge is detonated within the soft spongy pliable body material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,945 relates to a practice hand grenade and more specifically to a practice grenade which produces an amount of noise, flash and smoke and which also projects droplets of marker dye in a predetermined pattern so as to permit scoring during training exercises. In this invention, this training device further has a character by which it may be reloaded with dye and pyrotechnic and propellant charges for repeated usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,328 relates to a reloadable stun grenade, and more specifically to a stun grenade that minimizes the possibility of accidental injury by directing the force of the explosion which is detonated within the grenade out through the ends of the grenade rather than through the sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,523 relates to a stun grenade which includes a plurality of vents which are defined in the housing and wherein each of the vents is angularly offset from the longitudinal axes of the cavity for discharging explosive energy radially outwardly from the grenade. The stun grenade also includes a bore for receiving a replaceable explosive charge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,404 relates to a training grenade for a multiple integrated laser engagement system (MILES).
While these devices noted above, and others have operated with various degrees of success, they have shortcomings which have detracted from their usefulness. Chief among the problems associated with each of these prior art references is that the training grenades often do not produce enough light, and sound when detonated so as to simulate an actual hand grenade blast. Consequently, personnel, training with such devices are often trained inadequately and carelessly. Efforts to correct the foregoing shortcomings have met with limited success in view of the tendency to design training devices which minimize the possibility of injuring individuals who are utilizing same.
An explosive training device which when detonated produces sound and visibly discernable light which simulates an actual grenade blast, but which minimizes the likelihood of injuring personnel who are handling the explosive device, or who are nearby when it is detonated, is the subject matter of the present invention.